"I think in
Formula 1 almost everyone has very similar resources and we are all pushing hard, so closing the gap is always going to be difficult, there's no denying that," he continued.
"Our goal this year is to get to a higher level within the second pack and hopefully latch on to the top three teams. I actually believe the middle pack is closing up towards
Ferrari,
McLaren and
BMW, although it is not easy. But this is the pleasure of the remorseless challenge of
Formula One."
As for the sport in general, Howett reckons it is 'generally in very good shape - scandals excluded'.
"People have a tendency to talk down
F1 but we have one of the strongest and most popular sports in the world and I think it is more competitive now than it has been for a long while. If you look at the gap between teams, it is very close this year and that is something Formula 1 should be happy about.
"Obviously the loss of
Super Aguri was a shame but in general Formula 1 is commercially very strong; we have some of the biggest corporations in the world involved and the global reach is greater than all other sporting events, with the exception of quadrennial events such as World Cup football and the Olympics. F1 may not be perfect, it certainly can be improved, but it has plenty of reasons to be positive," he concluded.
